Did you think Mrs. Stewart's Bluing was used only in the laundry?

Meet the most versatile product on a grocer's shelves! In the 100+ years that consumers have been using Mrs. Stewart's Bluing, dozens of additional uses for our product have been discovered! We know of no other product, laundry or otherwise, that has as wide a variety of uses. Virtually all of the uses below have been found by our consumers, who have written hundreds of thousands of letters over the years to tell us of their findings. Here are just some of them:

Some of the descriptions offer additional information by clicking on a link in the descriptions. When you click, the information will be downloaded to your computer in pdf format.

If you know of uses for Mrs. Stewart's Bluing that have not been listed here - we would love to know what they are. Please contact us!

Magic Salt Crystal Garden:

For generations, bluing has been known as an essential ingredient of a "Salt Crystal Garden". This delightful crystalline formation became popular in the Great Depression, and is still known to some as a "Depression Flower" or "Coal Garden". By combining common ingredients (salt, water, bluing, food coloring and ammonia) over a porous base material (Coal, sponge, or other), the salt recrystallizes into beautiful, delicate coral-like formations. Children growing one of their own have been winning blue ribbons in science fairs ever since! Elementary teachers find it invaluable in teaching their students about crystals. We have offered the recipe free to individuals, schools, and scout troops for decades! Magic Salt Crystal Garden Recipe
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Brighten Swimming Pool Water:

Years ago, a woman in southern California added a bottle of Mrs. Stewart's Bluing to her swimming pool before the arrival of weekend house guests. The result was, to her, nothing short of a miracle! The inviting appearance of the pool kept the guests in a swimming mood the entire weekend and the hostess could relax and enjoy her guests as well as her Pacific blue pool. Some pool manufacturers and dealers use Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in their display pools and claim it really helps to close a sale. For standard pools (20' x 40'), add one or two bottles where water is recirculated from the filter, being careful not to splash directly on pool surface. Do not use in aerated pools such as jacuzzis or whirlpools as spotting can occur. Incidentally, a little bluing in the bath water can work wonders getting kids into the tub, too! For more information, click here.
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Whiter Hair:

Countless letters from elderly citizens tell us that Mrs. Stewart's Bluing is a wonderful addition to the rinse water when washing gray or white hair. It eliminates yellowing and gives their hair that beautiful whiteness which cannot be obtained even by products made especially for that purpose. It is absolutely safe, and because it is used by the drop, costs less than a penny per use! Use just a couple of drops in the rinse water. No wonder hair salons are beginning to contact us! Because we haven't tested MSB for whitening hair, we don't publish a specific formula. However, our customers tell us they wash and rinse their hair as normal. Then, they dilute a "couple" or a "few" drops of MSB in 1-2 quarts of water and run the diluted bluing through their hair as the final rinse. Some do this with every washing, some only when needed. For more information, click here.
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Whiter Pets:

If Mrs. Stewart's Bluing is good for white hair, is it good for white pet fur and hair? The answer is, of course, YES! Owners of white pets claim Mrs. Stewart's Bluing to be a real beauty treatment for their pets . . . even horses! Whether it be a palomino's tail being readied for a parade, or a poodle being groomed for a show, just a couple of drops of Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in the rinse water does the trick! Because we haven't tested MSB for whitening hair, we don't publish a specific formula. However, our customers tell us they wash and rinse their pet's hair as normal. Then, they dilute a "couple" or a "few" drops of MSB in 1-2 quarts of water and run the diluted bluing through the hair as the final rinse. Some do this with every washing, some only when needed. For more information, click here.
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Relieve the Pain of Insect Bites:

Some years ago, the University of Arizona printed a booklet on treatment for snake and insect bites in which it recommended Mrs. Stewart's Bluing be used to treat the bite of a Red Harvester Ant. They claim it to be "laboratory tested." Again, countless letters have been received over the years telling us how effective a dab of Mrs. Stewart's Bluing is on a bee sting. All expressed surprise in the "IMMEDIATE" relief!
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Make Glass and Crystal Sparkle:

It was discovered long ago that a few drops of Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in the rinse water makes fine crystal sparkle, and does the same for mirrors and windows. We have had many reports that Mrs. Stewart's Bluing used in the rinse water when cleaning crystal chandeliers extends the sparkle. They believe the dust particles are repelled by the bluing and the cleaning lasts much longer. How can we disagree? For more information, click here.
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Reduce Algae Growth in Fountains, Bird Baths and Fish Ponds:

Because Mrs. Stewart's Bluing does not affect the clarity of water, it can be used anywhere to change otherwise drab-looking water into a pool of beauty. A Holiday Inn owner in California has been using Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in his fountain which he claims has inspired many motels in his area to display that clear, Pacific blue water in fountains, bird baths, garden pools and swimming pools. Some customers report that bluing in bird baths and fish ponds also helps reduce algae buildup and because MSB is non-toxic, it won't hurt the birds or fish. For more information, click here.
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Medical Laboratory and Drug Testing Use:

A doctor doing research on skin cancer found that by boiling Mrs. Stewart's Bluing he could get a higher concentration of bluing which was perfect for orienting tissue samples. Bradley Products, Inc., our sister company, now manufactures and distributes The Davidson Marking System, which includes a set of seven different colors of tissue dyes. Drug testing companies use Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in their procedures as well.
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Podiatry Laboratories for Casting:

The fact that Mrs. Stewart's Bluing mixes readily in any water-based solution makes it ideal to color the casting material used in podiatric laboratories. By adding a blue color to certain layers of plaster used in casting, it is more easily determined where to add more plaster and where it is necessary to cut away. It is similarly used in sculpturing.
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Pottery Glazing:

A woman called several years ago looking for Mrs. Stewart's Bluing for use in her pottery club. After some questioning it was learned someone had discovered that by adding Mrs. Stewart's Bluing to the glaze when dipping pottery, one can more easily determine the area which was dipped by the blue color. Until this discovery, it was next to impossible for the potter to know exactly the area which was glazed, as the glazing does not show up on wet clay. The real beauty of this method is that in the firing, the blue is burned away and leaves a beautiful clear glaze!
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Detect Plumbing Leaks:

Mrs. Stewart's Bluing is useful when checking for leaks in drain systems, automotive cooling systems and toilet tanks. By pouring a little Mrs. Stewart's Bluing into a toilet's holding tank, it is easy to see whether or not the tank leaks through into the bowl, wasting water. It is cost effective, easy, and completely safe.
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Fertilizer Research:

A liquid fertilizer manufacturer found that Mrs. Stewart's Bluing added to his product in research experiments permitted him to follow the fertilizer through the plant and determine the rate of absorption.
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Coloring Flowers:

The first blue carnations are credited to Mrs. Stewart's Bluing! Freshly cut carnations placed in a vase with a high content of Mrs. Stewart's Bluing in the water will by osmosis carry the blue color into the tips of the petals quickly.
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Marking Ski Racecourses:

Ski Race Directors at ski resorts across the country have begun marking the center or edges of racecourses using Mrs. Stewart's Bluing to increase visibility under various lighting conditions.
For more information, click here.

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These are just a few of the uses for Mrs. Stewart's Bluing that have been reported. Others include reducing the algae growth in feeding troughs of farm animals and garden fish ponds, diminishing reported cases of distemper in small farm animals, myriads of artistic uses, coloring wall paper paste to aid in even spreading, re-bluing denim jeans that have faded, tie-dying T-shirts without chemicals, and many more! While Luther Ford and Company manufacturers and endorses our product as a laundry whitener, it is obvious by the many letters we have received that this unique product has many other uses. We hope you'll give it try in your home!

If you know of uses for Mrs. Stewart's Bluing that have not been listed here - we would love to know what they are. Please contact us!